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Through my Taekwondo training I've learned how to defend myself, but as a Leadership student, I also received advanced lessons with traditional weapons. I never imagined that using something as simple as a Bo Staff could be so empowering! Although I hope I never have to defend myself against an attacker, I now have the confidence and ability to do so.–Christina Morales, Brown Belt, 18 years old

From ATA World Volume 19, Number 3 Fall
2012

Eternal Grand Master H. U. Lee left a life of poverty and struggle in his native
Korea to pursue the American Dream. However, his dream was different than
others. Lee came to the United States 50 years ago to share his knowledge and
love of Taekwondo, believing that people can improve their lives through martial
arts.

Lee moved to the United States with the encouragement of Richard Reed, an
American serviceman he trained in Taekwondo in Korea. He became an instructor
and Reed’s partner at a martial arts school in Omaha, Neb., starting on his
dream to bring martial arts to the world, planting the seed that would become
Songahm Taekwondo.

Of course it wasn’t easy. Lee didn’t speak much English, and there were many
cultural barriers to overcome. He was even deported, not long after arriving in
America. But he didn’t give up. With determination and guts, Lee returned to the
United States to continue pursuing his goals, relying on his mantra for
encouragement: “Today not possible. Tomorrow possible.”

“His vision was to spread the art of Taekwondo all over the world, and he knew
that America was the up-and-coming super power. Little did he know how big the
United States was,” says his youngest son, Lucas Taekwon Lee, vice president of
media development and communications for the ATA. “But he had a mission to
change the world one Black Belt at a time.”

In 1969, H. U. Lee created the American Taekwondo Association and sparked the
growth of martial arts schools across the country. Based on Lee’s instructional
methods, his business support, and the Songahm style of Taekwondo, the ATA grew
to include 1 million people on six continents.

“To him, there were no impossibilities,” says Taekwon Lee. “He believed that in
Taekwondo, you can accomplish anything. With perseverance, self-control, and
self-discipline, anything is possible.”

H. U. Lee certainly didn’t rest on his laurels, waiting for his dream to happen
for him. He constantly trained and tested himself. He fasted for 21 days and
meditated in the mountains of Korea before earning the first 9th Degree Black
Belt in Songahm Taekwondo, becoming Grand Master in 1990.

Throughout the years, H. U. Lee constantly demonstrated that he was ATA Strong
by practicing what he preached, by being accessible to students, instructors,
and school owners, and by never giving up. Sadly, he died of cancer in 2000 at
the age of 64.

“He sacrificed for his philosophy, and that sacrifice paved the way for so many
things today,” says his son. “It’s very clear that everybody believes in his
vision and in what he was doing. He embodied the saying, ‘Everybody gets knocked
down. The strong get back up.’”